Il Fornaio - San Jose

Review summary

1. K

   Kelly

   Toronto6 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our group of three fully enjoyed our dining experience! The green pea puree was delicious and salmon with artichokes and asparagus outstanding. We paid for bread which was the first time doing so but overall meal prices were comparable with other restaurants.
   

   Is this helpful?

2. C

   Carol

   San Francisco22 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Have a lovely time as usual. One friend ordered the salmon which was good but, as she reported, was a bit overcooked and could have used a bit more emphasis. But still enjoyable.
   

   Is this helpful?

3. K

   Kimberly VIP

   San Francisco4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Amazing service, great food and portions! Great place to celebrate a birthday dinner!
   

   Is this helpful?

4. A

   Alex Hugo

   San Francisco10 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Restaurant may have been understaffed, which then caused the server to lash out at us over a simple innocent/playful comment. We gave her grace because she seemed busy the entire time we were there, she ended up completely ruining our dining experience & my birthday. The manager was called over but he also seemed confused. The only person with any customer service skills was the server who came over and left us the check. He tried to make things better and apologized( which we appreciated) We ended up leaving without having dinner. Very disappointed.
   

   Is this helpful?

5. R

   Roberta

   San Francisco11 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 24 March 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It was perfect before a show. Very quick,service was great. Food excellent!
   

   Is this helpful?

6. J

   Judy

   San Francisco2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on 23 March 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 5

   Our server was quite RUDE! She told my husband that he could not substitute white sauce for the red sauce on the dinner menu. So instead of getting what he actually ordered she brought him a dish from the appetizer menu. He tried to get her attention however she was very busy and did not check in with us. When we asked for bread she pointed to the menu and said you need to order it. We spoke with the manager and he was pleasant and offered to make another entree for him but it was too late. This used to be one of my favorite place to eat before the play at CPA but no more! We will sadly no longer be customers.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. M

   Megan

   San Francisco11 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 22 March 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   In the past I had recalled that they tend to be a bit slow so I planned for that….and good thing because service was very slow….and not in a good way. For 3 of us - we each had one bar drink, shared 1 app, 3 entree specials and they brought a complimentary birthday dessert (that was a nice touch). It took 1hr 45min. There were long stretches between each service, especially waiting for our entrees. Which arrived warmish - on the edge of cold (as did our appetizer). Portions are large. Food was good, but not delicious where you savor the bites. They need to pick it up on the service and find a way to serve food hot.
   

   Is this helpful?

8. M

   Matthew VIP

   Philadelphia4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 18 March 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   It was very busy, but our waiter was perfectly attentive.
   

   Is this helpful?

9. S

   Stuart VIP

   San Francisco91 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on 17 March 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   Service was slow throughout the meal. Empty drink glass. Shaved Parmesan not offered until half done with entree. Salad not crisp and the pears were cooked and had no flavor or texture. Good points. Bread was fresh and pana cotta dessert was fine
   

   Is this helpful?

10. J

    Jim VIP

    San Francisco52 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 16 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Il Fornaio is always a wonderful place to go before Theatre. They always make sure we get out on time. The service is excellent and the ambience is lovely.
    

    Is this helpful?